President Clinton met with senior Pentagon officials Tuesday to explore options for a possible military attack on Iraq. Defense Secretary William Cohen stepped up the movement of U.S. ships into the region while negotiations with President Saddam Hussein were flatly ruled out. "The military option is still on the table," Cohen said. State Department spokesman James P. Rubin, meanwhile, said, "What is not needed, and there is no plan for it, is negotiations with Saddam Hussein." At the meeting with Clinton also were Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; National Security Adviser Sandy Berger; Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Vice Adm. Vernon Clark, director of operations; and Rear Adm. Thomas Wilson, director of intelligence for the Joint Chiefs.

The federal government has agreed to extend funds to six major life insurers, including Northbrook-based Allstate Corp., to help them shore up their capital positions in the wake of major investment losses. Allstate was among insurers receiving preliminary investment approval, Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams said. He declined to disclose the amount of investment the insurers would receive. In a statement, Allstate Chief Executive Thomas Wilson said the company would "undertake a prudent review" of its situation before responding to the preliminary approval.

Allstate Corp., the biggest U.S. publicly traded car and home insurer, hired Michele Coleman Mayes as general counsel to oversee 700 lawyers. Mayes, 58, will begin work on Nov. 5, Allstate spokesman Brad Keena said in an interview Friday. She's currently senior vice president and general counsel of Pitney Bowes Inc. in Stamford, Conn. At Northbrook-based Allstate, she will succeed Michael McCabe, who is retiring. "After a thorough and careful search, Michele emerged as the candidate having the right mix of corporate legal experience, as well as an excellent background in public policy and government affairs," Allstate Chief Executive Thomas Wilson said Friday in a statement.